Father and Son
by Launcelot du Coudray
Summary: It has become well known that Shadow was one of Jumba's most evil and blood thirsty experiments. But before being unleashed on an unsuspecting universe, Shadow had to be taught, trained, and shaped into a killing machine. First prelude of Evil's Shadow.


For those of you who are just tuning in, this is one of the preludes to my first fic, "Evil's Shadow". If you haven't read that fic, then this one isn't going to make any sense. I suggest you read that one first, then come back to this one. If you've already read "Evil's Shadow", then I hope you enjoy this prelude.

_**Father and Son**_

Chapter 1: Introductions

As he suddenly became aware of his own existence, a wide array of sensations washed over him. He felt warmth, and wetness. Though these feelings were foreign to him, he felt a sense of security and peace.

Slowly, he opened one eye half-way, taking a quick glance of his surrounding area. He was encased in a gelatine-like sack, and was suspended in a thick, odd-smelling substance. Fully opening both of his eyes, he uncurled from the ball that he was so tightly coiled into, stretching his arms and legs and getting a feel for his current surroundings.

A new sensation spontaneously made itself know to him, one that he took no pleasure in feeling: drowning. He covered his nose and mouth with his paws, frantically searching around for a means of escape from what was once his sanctuary. Finding no way out, he began to claw and kick at the sack that contained him, slashing at it with his claws and violently striking it with his feet. At the very last moment, he had managed to tear a hole in the sack, causing it's thick fluid–along with himself–to pour out onto the cold, hard floor.

Sputtering and coughing, he lay helpless on the floor, trying to regain his breath and keep himself warm from the chill that enveloped him.

"_**You've passed your first test, Shadow." **_a menacing voice commented in a nonchalant tone. The sound of the disembodied voice was intimidating; chilling, in a sense. Yet somehow soothing.

"Wha-who... who's there?" the creature on the floor inquired, slightly fearful for his well-being.

"_**You have nothing to fear; I mean you no harm. Quite the contrary; I'm here to help you," **_the voice responded, doing it's best to sound reassuring.

As he stood to his feet and removed the sticky fluid from his eyes, the creature turned around, only to come face to face with a being far more intimidating than one could imagine. It levitated three feet above the ground, a dark purple robe trailing beneath it. It wore a long golden necklace, with arcane symbols dangling from the chain. It's claws consisted of five fingers and an opposable thumb, it's flesh was a light black. It's head was merely one large, red and yellow eye, with horns protruding out from the top of it's cranium and curving around to point straight ahead in the front.

The small, newborn creature jumped back in surprise and fear, and covered his face in terror.

"_**Oh enough, Shadow! Swallow your fear look upon me!" **_the colossal demon barked, growing impatient with Shadow's lack of courage. The tiny creature known as "Shadow" slowly but surely did as he was commanded, removing his paws and staring upon the deity who had given him life.

"Who... who are you?" Shadow questioned, curious as to the identity of the titanic being.

"_**I am referred to as Tolecnual; I am the Turian God of Death," **_the entity explained.

"And I'm... Shadow?"

"_**That is correct."**_

"Why 'Shadow'?" the tiny creature inquired. The name was dull, and not very intimidating.

"_**Because even when light is present, darkness exists. This holds true for every tangible object in existence," **_the God of Death explained. _**"And that is why I created you. To remind the universe that darkness is always present."**_

It made sense enough; his identity suddenly seemed a bit more flashy, more meaningful. Yet he had more questions.

"You... created me?"

"_**Yes."**_

"So... would that... make you my father?" Shadow questioned. Tolecnual was surprised, and rather taken back by this inquiry. While in the process of bringing Shadow to life, the thought of his creation being considered kin had never even crossed his mind.

"_**I suppose... if you wish to call me that," **_he responded. Shadow's face instantly became more relaxed. His fear of this deity had vanished, and was replaced by a sense of safety. But he had more questions.

"You said I passed a test, father; what did you mean by that?"

"_**Your experience in the incubation sack was a test of your survival instinct. I needed to be sure that you will do whatever it takes to survive," **_Tolecnual responded. _**"And your purpose is to harvest souls for me," **_he added, replying to Shadow's next question before he could voice it.

The intention behind his existence was becoming increasingly more clear as his father satisfied every question he sought the answer to. But he had one more pondering.

"Where are we?" Shadow inquired.

"_**This is my domain: the Void." **_Tolecnual explained, casting a hand out as if to introduce his jurisdiction. Shadow turned to view his new home.

The sky consisted of black, twirling clouds. From an unknown source in the heavens, creatures of various races hung from hooks embedded in their backs, skulls, and throats. The ground that he stood on was made of hard, smooth stone, with graphic depictions of death and mutilation etched into rock. Said footing was a bridge of sorts, that served as a pathway to various destinations all throughout the Void, holding him high over a grotesque sea of blood and body parts. As far as his eyes could see, Shadow caught glimpses of tiny demons, executing various methods of torture on creatures of all shapes and sizes, laughing maniacally as their victims desperately begged for mercy.

The sight was a morbid one. It was nauseating and grotesque, yet Shadow found a twisted sense of beauty and excitement in it. He was eager to explore every last inch of the dominion. But it would have to wait. His frantic escape from the incubation sack left him feeling weak, and tired. As if reading his son's mind, Tolecnual directed Shadow to a place where he may lay his head.

"_**Your sleeping chambers are over yonder," **_he instructed, pointing to a small hut two hundred feet away.

"Thank you, father," Shadow credited, slumping tiredly to the hut his father mentioned.

Tolecnual gaffed at the idea of rest, seeing it as a sign of weakness. But since he knew that Shadow was merely a few minutes old, he would need sleep if he was to get through his rigorous training in one piece.

'_You better get your fill of bet rest now, Shadow,' _Tolecnual thought to himself, '_Because tomorrow is going to be Hell.' _

Well, that's the first chapter of Father and Son. Hopefully I answered some questions you might have, and if I haven't, don't worry; there's more to come. R&R. Thanks.


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